Founded in 1999 by Filipe Faria and Sérgio Peixoto, Sete Lágrimas takes its name from the innovative collection of dances by the renaissance composer John Dowland (1563-1626) that were published by John Windet in 1604, when the composer was employed as lutenist to Christian IV of Denmark.

Intensely focused on dialogues between early and contemporary music and classical music with centuries-old traditions, Sete Lágrimas brings together musicians from different musical backgrounds around conceptual projects fuelled both by in-depth musicological research and innovative, irreverent and creative processes centred on sounds, instrumentation and memories of early music.

In these projects, it is possible to identify dialogues between classical and popular music, between early and contemporary music, and between the age-old Portuguese Diaspora of the Discoveries and the Mediterranean Latin axis. These dialogues are converted into sound through a faithful reading of the interpretative principles of early music and a distinctive approach to the defining elements of folk music and jazz.

Sete Lágrimas regularly invites guest musicians working in different areas of early music to participate in its projects. To date, these musicians have included María Cristina Kiehr (Argentina), Zsuzsi Tóth (Hungary) and Ana Quintans (Portugal). The group has also worked with folk, jazz and world-music musicians such as Mayra Andrade (Cabo Verde), António Zambujo (Portugal) and Adufeiras de Monsanto (Portugal).

Projects involving dialogues between early and contemporary music include ‘Kleine Musik’ (MU0102/2008), ‘Silêncio’ (MU0106/2009) and ‘Vento’ (MU0108/2010). For these projects, Sete Lágrimas premiered works written specially for the consort by the composers Ivan Moody (England), João Madureira (Portugal), Andrew Smith (Norway) and Christopher Bochmann (England). All of these works were commissioned by the production company Arte das Musas which is directed by Filipe Faria.

At the Coimbra Arts Festival in 2011, Sete Lágrimas performed the world première of the work ‘Lamento’, which was commissioned from the writer José Luís Peixoto, winner of the José Saramago Literary Prize, and the composer João Madureira.

In Portugal and abroad, the ensemble’s concerts and extensive discography have consistently won the praise of both critics and the public. Their twelve releases – ‘Lachrimæ #1’ (MU0101/2007), ‘Kleine Musik’ (MU0102/2008), ‘Diaspora.pt: Diáspora, vol.1’ (MU0103/2008), ‘Silêncio’ (MU0106/2009), ‘Pedra Irregular’ (MU0107/2010), ‘Vento’ (MU0108/2010) ‘Terra: Diáspora, vol.2’ (MU0110/2011), ‘En tus brazos una noche’ (MU0109/2012), ‘Península: Diáspora. vol.3’ (MU011/2013), ‘Cantiga’ (MU0113/2014), ‘Missa Mínima‘ (MU0116/2016) and ‘Um dia normal’ (Book + CD MU0116/2015), a graphic poem with text and illustrations by Filipe Faria and music by Sete Lágrimas, often receive the maximum number of stars (5 out of 5) and are selected as the Editor’s Choice, the Best Recording of the Year etc. by Portugal’s leading newspapers, radio shows and magazines. Internationally, mention must be made of the reviews of their recordings published in the International Record Review, Doce Notas, Goldberg etc. and the reviews of their concerts in Europe and Asia.

In 2008, 2011 and 2012, the three releases comprising the Diáspora project were the best-selling titles in FNAC shops. In 2010, Diaspora.pt was named an ‘Essential Recording’ in the Classical Music Guide published by the same chain of shops and Sete Lágrimas’ trajectory to date was profiled in the publication ‘Alma Lusitana’ (FNAC).

In 2011/2012, Sete Lágrimas were invited to be the Associated Ensemble of the Season by the Centro Cultural de Belém (CCB/Lisbon), performing ‘Tríptico da Terra’ at three sold-out concerts.

In 2014, at the invitation of the classical radio station RDP Antena 2, Sete Lágrimas represented Portugal in the EURORADIO Christmas Folk Music Project organised by the European Broadcasting Union. The project was broadcast on 30 radio stations in 28 countries, including BBC Radio 3 and France Musique.

Their discography is regularly included on the playlists of classical radio stations in several European countries, including Spain (RNE Rádio Clásica), the UK (BBC Radio 3), the Czech Republic (Ceský rozhlas/Czech National Radio), Bosnia (Radio Beograd) and Portugal (Antena 2/TSF/Antena 1).

The 2018/2019 season began with the creative project ‘Les Explorateurs,’ at the invitation of the Philharmonie Luxembourg and Artistic Director Pascal Sticklies, with 18 sold-out performances during September/October, with producer Aline Bourguignon (France), stage director Benjamin Prins (France), playwright Pénélope Driant (France), set and costume designer Nina Ball (Austria), actor/dancer Jan Bastel (Germany) and dancer Nestor Kouame Dit Solvis (Ivory Coast). In September of the same year, Sete Lágrimas performed a concert as part of the ‘Atlântico’ Festival in the Philharmonie Luxembourg’s Grand Auditorium.

To commemorate the group’s 20th anniversary, Arte das Musas is publishing the book ‘7/20 - Sete Lágrimas, Vinte Anos,’ with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Directorate-General for the Arts and the Municipality of Idanha-a-Nova - UNESCO Creative City of Music.

During the 2019/2020 season, Sete Lágrimas is performing at the Centro Cultural de Belém, the Cathedral of Idanha-a-Velha, Festival de S. Roque and Batalha Monastery, among others, and, for the first time, in Sala Suggia at Casa da Música (Porto). In 2019, the group is working on creating and presenting to the public, in 15 performances, Episode 2 of ‘Les Explorateurs’ — The Mysterious Princess — at the invitation of the Philharmonie Luxembourg, with stage director Benjamin Prins (France), collaborator at the staging Pénélope Driant (France), set and costume designer Nina Ball (Austria), actor/dancer Jan Bastel (Germany), dancer Winnie Dias (Brazil), choreographer Sabine Novel (France) and actor Alexandre Martin-Varoy (France).

Since 2003, Sete Lágrimas have been sponsored by the Ministry of Culture (Portuguese Government) and the Directorate General for the Arts. The ensemble is represented by the Arte das Musas production company and published by the MU/Arte das Musas record label.